IU women’s basketball battles, but falls short to No. 4 USC

BLOOMINGTON – Teri Moren expressed several concerns following Indiana’s loss to Illinois earlier in the week. Focusing mainly on physicality and effort, Moren made it clear her team needed to step up in those areas to compete with the best.

And even though they came up short against one of the top teams in college basketball, IU appeared to make significant strides.

Indiana battled hard down the stretch against No. 4 USC on Sunday afternoon, ultimately coming up short 73-66 inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

The Hoosiers had some really impressive moments throughout.

Indiana’s main noticeable improvement was on the defensive end. They held the Trojans to 39 percent from the field and contained their two biggest stars. Juju Watkins finished with 22 points but only shot 6-for-16 from the field for the game. Kiki Iriafen, who averages 18.6 points a game, was limited to 6 of 15 from the field and finished with 14 points.

Indiana (12-6, 4-3) couldn’t quite keep up with a deep USC roster offensively. The Hoosiers shot 38 percent from the field themselves and finished 8 of 29 on 3-pointers. The Trojans also put a ton of pressure on IU’s primary ballhandlers and forced 15 turnovers.

Sydney Parrish had a nice performance, finishing in double-double fashion with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Chloe Moore-McNeil, Yarden Garzon, and Karoline Striplin all finished in double figures as well. Striplin made her first start as a Hoosier against USC, replacing Lilly Meister.

The Trojans (17-1, 7-0) struggled from the field but converted their opportunities from the free-throw line. They made 21 of 24 attempts from the charity stripe and had the advantage compared to Indiana’s 16 of 22. Watkins had eight points at the line.

Indiana will travel to Oregon on Friday for at 9 p.m. Eastern tip.